JAKARTA ~ A court sentenced a museum curator and his accomplices with up to 18 months in jail on Monday for stealing and selling six ninth-century Hindu statues, a report said.

A routine inspection of the Radya Pustaka museum in the historic city of Solo on Java island in November found the original stone statues had been stolen and replaced with fakes two years earlier.

The museum’s curator, Dharmodipuro, was convicted with violating the Cultural Heritage Act and embezzlement of state funds raised from the illegal sale of the pieces, the Antara news agency reported.
Dharmodipuro said he would appeal the sentence.

Two other former museum workers were sentenced to 14 months’ jail for assisting Dharmodipuro and another man was given 18 months for buying stolen property and fraud.

Police found the statues in the Jakarta home of businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who has not been charged with any crime.